Editing Sanctuary (section)

=== Traditions of Sanctuary ===
Although the word "sanctuary" is often traced back only as far as the Greek and Roman empires, the concept itself has likely been part of human cultures for thousands of years. The idea that persecuted persons should be given a place of refuge is ancient, perhaps even primordial, deriving itself from basic features of human [[altruism]]. In studying the concept across many cultures and times, anthropologists have found sanctuary to be a highly universal notion, one which appears in almost all major religious traditions and in a variety of diverse geographies. "Cities of refuge" as described by the Book of Numbers and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament, as well as the Bedouin idea of {{transliteration|ar|nazaala}}, or the "taking of refuge", indicate a strong tradition of sanctuary in the Middle East and Northern Africa. In the Americas, many native tribes shared similar practices, particularly in the face of invading European powers. Despite tensions between groups, many tribes still offered and received sanctuary, taking in those who had fled their tribal lands or feared persecution by the Spanish, English, and French.<ref name=Rabben>{{Cite book|last=Rabben|first=Linda|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/book/47599|title=Sanctuary and Asylum: A Social and Political History|date=2016|publisher=University of Washington Press|isbn=978-0-295-99914-2|language=en}}</ref>